It is notably similar in design to One Canada Square in London's Canary Wharf development. Canary Wharf was, like the World Financial Center, a project by Canadian developers Olympia and York, and One Canada Square was designed by the same architects.

Two World Financial Center was severely damaged by the falling debris when the World Trade Center towers collapsed due to the September 11 attacks. The building had to be closed for repairs from September 11, 2001 until May 2002 as a result of damage sustained in the terrorist attacks.[2]

On April 12, 2012, "suspicious packages" were delivered to the 2 World Financial Center, prompting the evacuation of the building after the "potential, deadly threat". A bomb squad was called in to investigate the package, which was spotted during a routine screening. The New York Police Department later determined the packages to be harmless, and employees returned to work.[3]

It was renamed 225 Liberty Street when the rest of the complex became Brookfield Place in 2014.[4]